A piercing white filled her vision.
New snow fluttered down from the sky, swirling before blanketing the vast, snowy ground, as if adding another layer of vitality to the whiteness.
An incessant clamor filled her ears, but Jiang Yingcheng paid it no mind. Her gaze was fixed on the half of her arm exposed to the air.
It was fair, tender, and chubby, like a small section of a fresh lotus root.
A snowflake landed on this little arm, and the icy sensation finally brought her back to her senses.
Jiang Yingcheng stubbornly recited in her mind: [I am a princess.]
The cold feeling of the melting snow on her arm was so real. How could she be a string of ethereal data, as the other party claimed?
The words spoken by this self-proclaimed system that had just appeared were simply nonsensical.
The electronic voice, having already explained countless times, now carried a hint of helplessness: [You are 996.]
A layer of mist instantly condensed in Jiang Yingcheng’s eyes: [I’m a princess!]
The electronic voice finally seemed to get a headache from her endlessly repeated topic, and even its volume seemed to have been turned up: [A fake princess, then.]
As if that blow wasn’t enough, the electronic voice paused for only a moment before continuing: [Furthermore, after the true prince seizes the throne, he will feel that you have usurped the privileged life that should have been his for all these years, and he will harbor a grudge against you.]
[He will marry you off to the most useless fop in the capital, allowing you to be beaten, cursed, and abused after your marriage. After you have suffered for many years, he will find a random excuse to have you executed by lingchi.]
The fair, tender doll curled up in the snow was finally scared to tears by these spoilers. She threw her head back, stretched her neck, and began to wail. But after just a couple of howls, she was choked by the snowflakes falling into her mouth and started coughing her lungs out.
No one dared to step forward and comfort her.
After she finished coughing, Jiang Yingcheng squatted on the spot, her tears falling pitifully, drop by drop.
The electronic voice finally seemed to realize it had gone too far and tried to awkwardly make amends: [Stop crying. I can help you.]
Jiang Yingcheng was right in the middle of a heartbroken sob. Hearing this, she whimpered, [But… but the name 996… it sounds… it sounds like it’s prone to sudden death from overwork.]
What kind of decent system is named 996!
The electronic voice fell suspiciously silent for a moment: [It won’t. My serial number is 007.]
Jiang Yingcheng’s almond-shaped eyes suddenly widened. Her crimson-rimmed eyes and flushed cheeks seemed to paint a touch of vibrant color on her round, adorable face.
007? The kind of 007 that requires being on call twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week?
She praised 007 in a small voice, [Ah… then… then you’re quite impressive, huh.] To not have died from overwork after all this time.
She secretly added in her heart.
[…]
007 said helplessly, [Let’s deal with the main business first.]
The “main business” 007 referred to was the two adolescent princes arguing opposite them. To be precise, it was the Fourth Prince unilaterally shoving the Seventh Prince, muttering something as he pushed.
“It was you who pushed Little Eleven onto the stone steps, that’s why she hit her head! We all saw it!”
“You’re done for, Old Seventh. Imperial Father detests sibling rivalry the most. I’m going to report what you just did to Imperial Father right now!”
Jiang Xingran stood with his head lowered, neither defending himself nor resisting, as if he had long grown accustomed to such meek endurance. He just had to wait for this to pass, and he could return to his peaceful life.
Even the occasional glance he cast toward Jiang Yingcheng was icy, devoid of any warmth.
Jiang Yingcheng asked the system in her heart: [Did he really push me?]
007 replied: [Of course not.]
[The one who pushed you was one of the Fourth Prince’s men. He was just looking for an excuse to target the Seventh Prince.]
Jiang Yingcheng fell silent.
In her memory, she was originally a bright-eyed university student about to enter her sophomore year. One day, after trying to save a woman who had jumped into the water, they both perished. When she opened her eyes again, she had transmigrated into the body of this Eleventh Princess of Da Rui.
Today was her fifth day since transmigrating. She had just been gleefully preparing to enjoy the extravagant palace life of a princess when a bucket of cold water was thrown on her by the system that had suddenly bonded with her.
007 said that she, too, was a system, serial number 996. Someone had erased all her data and thrown her into an unknown small world. She then transmigrated into this book and was told that only by successfully surviving until the end of the story could she safely escape this place.
This was a double transmigration.
Time was short, so 007 hadn’t told her too much about the plot, only that she had to find a way to cling to the Seventh Prince’s thigh to have a chance at survival.
It was just that…
Although she hadn’t been here for long, her style of speaking and acting had been assimilated by the constraints of the heavenly dao into that of a four-year-old child. The memories of her past life had already become a story in her mind that had nothing to do with her. She could only extract the plot points from it but couldn’t generate the slightest emotion from these stories.
Because of this, she couldn’t think things through thoroughly and could only act on instinct.
Jiang Yingcheng was about to cry from anxiety.
She had secretly run out of her mother-consort’s palace today without a single palace maid or eunuch. How was she supposed to save her “thigh” from the Fourth Prince, who had a large group of guards with him?!
The Fourth Prince’s hand was still forcefully poking the Seventh Prince’s head, one jab after another. In her panic, Jiang Yingcheng lifted the hem of her thickly padded cotton dress and cried out as her short legs scrambled, “Don’t… don’t bully Seventh Brother!”
Jiang Huaian’s hand froze. He turned his head to look at Jiang Yingcheng in utter astonishment, seemingly unable to believe that the soft, pliable little moppet who used to agree with whatever he said would dare to speak out against him.
“Little Eleven, I’m getting revenge for you.”
Jiang Huaian’s gaze swept strangely up and down Jiang Yingcheng several times.
He had heard the little one’s loud wails just now. Although she had stopped, her eyes were now red and her nose was twitching. She looked exceptionally pitiful, just like the soft and pliant girl he was familiar with.
He relaxed slightly and coaxed, “Be a good girl, Little Eleven. Go play over there for a bit. After Fourth Brother is done dealing with the bad guy who pushed you, I’ll take you to see Imperial Father.”
After speaking, he intended to turn back and continue dealing with this mute-like seventh brother of his, completely ignoring the wound on Jiang Yingcheng’s forehead that had just stopped bleeding.
Jiang Yingcheng shook her head back and forth at a high frequency and even took two steps forward, attempting to grab Jiang Huaian’s wrist.
But she was too short and could only reach his waist. “Wuwuwu, no, no…”
007 had already told her that if Seventh Brother was framed for pushing her today, he would come to resent her as well!
Thinking of this, Jiang Yingcheng began to wail her heart out again. “Waaah, waah… Don’t bully Seventh Brother…”
Jiang Huaian’s limited patience ran out. Just as he was about to forcefully shake her off, a clear announcement came from around the corner—
“His Majesty arrives—”
Everyone present was startled and knelt on the ground in unison. Only Jiang Yingcheng’s reaction was a beat slow. She turned her head with a dazed look, her eyes meeting a pair of deep, profound ones.
Jiang Yingcheng’s eyes lit up slightly.
This was the first time since she had transmigrated that she had seen the legendary Mingze Emperor, who was known for his decisiveness and ruthlessness.
The morning court had long been dismissed, and he had changed into a black brocade robe. A nine-clawed golden dragon embroidered with gold thread coiled upon it, half-hidden by a dark blue cloak.
He was exceedingly handsome, with sword-like brows, star-like eyes, and a straight, high nose. He clearly had the features of a standard handsome man, yet he was also the supreme ruler who had long been in a position of power. Just by standing there casually, he could exude an overwhelming sense of pressure.
Jiang Yingcheng screamed like a groundhog in her heart.
[Wow, wow, wow, my Imperial Father is so handsome!]
[That waist, that aura, what a perfect historical drama pretty boy!]
[It’s just a pity he dies a bit early…]
[System Bro, what did you say just now? He was… by my…]
Before Jiang Yingcheng could finish her internal monologue, the chief eunuch standing behind the Mingze Emperor let out an affected cough.
Jiang Yingcheng looked up at the sound.
Changshun Gonggong exclaimed dramatically, “Heavens, Your Highness, what happened to your forehead?!”
After speaking, he scanned the kneeling eunuchs and palace maids on the ground. “Has an imperial physician been called?”
The people on the ground were all silent as cicadas in winter.
His Highness the Fourth Prince had been so preoccupied with bullying the Seventh Prince, what spare time did he have for that?
Changshun Gonggong’s eyes widened. He turned and ordered an attendant behind him to summon an imperial physician.
The Mingze Emperor had been silent the entire time, his deep gaze fixed on the white bundle on the ground that was almost blending into the snow. The emotions churning within were inscrutable.
Dies early…
Is she talking about me?